Overview
- Senior delegations led by Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi held talks in Islamabad that produced official commitments to step up joint counter‑terrorism, counternarcotics and anti‑smuggling action.
- The two sides pledged concrete connectivity measures in a joint announcement on Wednesday that include reopening and upgrading border crossings, operationalizing a Chabahar–Gwadar sea route, and reviving cross‑border rail links.
- Pakistan reported that upgrades to the Main Line‑3 (ML‑3) railway corridor are expected to start in the current fiscal year with a projected completion by December 2029 and that Taftan will serve as a customs clearance point for cross‑border freight.
- Officials said implementation steps will follow, including permits, customs arrangements and joint committees, but most measures remain at the planning and commitment stage and require sustained follow‑through.
- The talks target security and economic pain points for people living along the 900 km Pakistan‑Iran border by aiming to reduce militant and smuggling activity and to boost legal trade that officials say could rise toward several billions of dollars, while testing Pakistan's diplomatic role as US‑Iran hostilities continue.